"Medea" was written by Greek playwright Euripides. The play follows the story of Medea, a woman scorned. At the opening of the play, Medea is grieving over the fact that her husband, Jason, has married Glauke (Glauce in some translations), the king of Corinth's daughter, leaving her behind. The king, Creon, banishes Medea and her two sons out of fear she will take revenge. Medea does in fact plot and then takes her revenge on all parties through the act of multiple murders, thus creating an intense tragedy that readers of ancient Greek plays have come to expect. A story with this much drama and action, as well as themes of betrayal and revenge, creates an abundance of quotes that you will want to remember. Below you'll find memorable quotes, along with analysis of the quotes.
Medea on Women
"Of all creatures that can feel and think, we women are the worst treated things alive."
This quote is by Medea; it appears in episode one of the play. It is a great example of Euripides' progressive thoughts regarding women. Medea states that women are the least regarded members of society, something she thinks is evident in the way she has been treated by her husband, Jason, as he leaves her for another woman. This notion is one of the central themes of the play.
Revenge
"He lets me stay one extra day, to make three enemies corpses: ha! father, daughter, and my husband."
Medea says this quote after she convinces Creon to allow her to stay in Corinth for one extra day before going into exile. She convinces him to do this by appealing for her two sons and their well-being. Her actual plan is to gain enough time to seek her revenge on Jason, his new wife, and the king. However, you should note one thing about this quote: she says he'll turn Jason into a corpse, but that doesn't happen. Instead, Medea kills her sons to throw Jason into grief. It is unclear whether Medea changes her mind unbeknownst to the reader/audience, hiding her actual plan, or if this is just a mishap in the plot (something that Euripides was blamed for doing often in his plays).
"Medea" was written by Greek playwright Euripides. The play follows the story of Medea, a woman scorned. At the opening of the play, Medea is grieving over the fact that her husband, Jason, has married Glauke (Glauce in some translations), the king of Corinth's daughter, leaving her behind. The king, Creon, banishes Medea and her two sons out of fear she will take revenge. Medea does in fact plot and then takes her revenge on all parties through the act of multiple murders, thus creating an intense tragedy that readers of ancient Greek plays have come to expect. A story with this much drama and action, as well as themes of betrayal and revenge, creates an abundance of quotes that you will want to remember. Below you'll find memorable quotes, along with analysis of the quotes.
Medea on Women
"Of all creatures that can feel and think, we women are the worst treated things alive."This quote is by Medea; it appears in episode one of the play. It is a great example of Euripides' progressive thoughts regarding women. Medea states that women are the least regarded members of society, something she thinks is evident in the way she has been treated by her husband, Jason, as he leaves her for another woman. This notion is one of the central themes of the play.
Revenge
"He lets me stay one extra day, to make three enemies corpses: ha! father, daughter, and my husband."Medea says this quote after she convinces Creon to allow her to stay in Corinth for one extra day before going into exile. She convinces him to do this by appealing for her two sons and their well-being. Her actual plan is to gain enough time to seek her revenge on Jason, his new wife, and the king. However, you should note one thing about this quote: she says he'll turn Jason into a corpse, but that doesn't happen. Instead, Medea kills her sons to throw Jason into grief. It is unclear whether Medea changes her mind unbeknownst to the reader/audience, hiding her actual plan, or if this is just a mishap in the plot (something that Euripides was blamed for doing often in his plays).
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